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By Alex Johnson, Tom Winter and Monica Alba
Federal prosecutors have issued a subpoena for documents from President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, a representative of the committee said Monday night.
The U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, are investigating allegations that the committee misspent some of the tens of millions it raised from donations and that some donors gave money in exchange for access to influence Trump administration policy positions.
“We have just received a subpoena for documents,” the committee representative told NBC News. “While we are still reviewing the subpoena, it is our intention to cooperate with the inquiry.”
The subpoena was first reported by ABC News. A representative of the U.S. attorney’s office wouldn’t comment Monday night.
The Wall Street Journal, which said it had reviewed a copy, reported that the subpoena doesn’t mention Tom Barrack Jr., the head of the committee. Barrack, a prominent real estate developer and longtime friend of the president’s, was interviewed by investigators from the office of special counsel Robert Mueller as part of Mueller’s investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.
The Journal reported in December that the investigation of the inaugural committee began after federal agents seized materials from Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, in April.
The subpoena seeks documents regarding donations to the committee “made by or on behalf of foreign nationals, including but not limited to any communications regarding or relating to the possibility of donations by foreign nationals,” according to The Journal.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told MSNBC in December that the House Intelligence Committee, of which he is the chairman, will also examine possible illegal foreign funding of the inauguration.
More broadly, the subpoena reported on Monday seeks all documents related to the committee’s donors and vendors, including records related to “benefits” like tickets or invitations to receptions that donors received in exchange, according to The Journal.
Federal Election Commission records show that the committee’s biggest donors included the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, AT&T Inc. and Boeing Co., all of whom gave $1 million or more. The Journal reported in December that there was no sign that those donors are under investigation.